Keep the prices low. So many people are not able to afford homes already. I live in 1960’s home, no sheeting. 2X4, 2 layers of tar paper, stucco, I think it is fine I do agree that OSB would give much better shear strength.
@@gund89123this house is getting brick/stone fascia. I would trust plywood more because it gives you more places to tie the fascia to the structure. Plywood also prevents wracking of the structure. Although technically legal it's not a good design.
Here in Arizona it seems none of the tract home have sheathing all the way around. Instead, there is just house wrap attached to the studs except where they need sheer strength. I have no idea why that is ok.
Unfortunately, at least here in Arizona, this would be considered a good build. Our current house, we had an independent inspector come in (who was a retired builder). At various stages of the build he picked up on over 500 faults, of which 120 were classed as serious. He also found the stucco was improperly formulated and as a result the stucco for the entire house had to be removed and redone. He accompanied us on the final walkthrough. Before we arrived he had walked the roof and found over a dozen problems that needed addressed. We then started the house inspection. We did the entrance way, lounge, dining room and kitchen. The window in the kitchen wasn't square and it was, in any case, misplaced by nine inches laterally. This meant the cabinets abutted the window on one side and on the other there was a one foot gap. In any case, the window wouldn't and couldn't open. By 'not square' I mean the angle on the corners was 85 degrees and 95 degrees. At this point, the builder got really angry and threw us out of the house. It took the builder another 3 months to fix all the faults in the report, but on the plus side we were the only buyers who didn't need any callbacks from the builder. Sadly, that same builder is still in business today. I hope they've gotten better... I would never dream of buying or building a house without a highly competent inspector who does great documentation (with photographic evidence). Never. Ever. It has saved us tens of thousand of dollars and these people are worth their weight in gold.
@@davidgapp1457 there's a bloke doing these videos here in Australia. Called siteinspections. Have a look at the absolute mess he finds. They make this house look like it was done properly.
Honestly it's nice that he's not such a jerk. A lot of these inspectors act like megalomaniacs on a pathetic little power trip. It's not his job to sh*t all over people. It's to point out mistakes. Period.
@@davidgapp1457 I grew up in Maryvale in west Phoenix, we had a brick John F Long home from 1961. Huge yard and zero HOA. Phoenix, a great place to be from.
Because those are clear violations the builder is required to fix them. If the builder doesn't it can lead to grounds of losing their license. Then they would still need to fork over the money for repairs.
@@ricktester2394 My daughter and son-in-law walked away from a $570K house in Round Rock it was so shoddy I was really shocked. I went with them to three inspections and every time there were 10-15 issues. The guy from the builder asked me if I was their inspector and I said yes, and the dad who will make sure they don't get screwed. None of the issues got fixed. They got their deposit back and the builder was cited by the city. I went by not too long ago and someone was living there and I am sure nothing was fixed. In the end they knew to just let this one go and still came out ahead. Big money for these row house builders coves most errors.
@@ricktester2394 Or they file a "letter of concern" to the local government for the inspector "publicly shaming" them on RUclips, and trying to get the inspector's license revoked.
After watching a couple of your videos makes me wonder after all the points you make about the homes---do they actually get repaired correctly by the builder. I see some of the stuff you point out as almost needing a tear out to get it right
As an old retired Building Inspector, I cannot believe all the shoddy workmanship! I would need a lot of red tags if I was responsible for this inspection!
@@colliemutt5structural cardboard 😅😂, I found it under shiplap siding on my addition that was built in the 80s. Complete garbage. Big box stores sell it.
Watching all these inspector videos makes me realize I should get in touch with an inspector to recommend me decent builders in an area when I want to build a place. So many builders cutting corners.
Bought a new construction home in 2002. As luck would have it, the pre drywall inspector came while I was visiting the site. Believe it or not, the guy spent about ten minutes on the site. I had to call his boss and he was not happy with me. Oh, well, it’s my money.
Because. It. Passed. The. City. Inspection! I have a lot of love for my ATX city inspectors, but they are overworked and over stressed and don't have the time that I have to spend on a job. Believe me they find a whole lot of stuff but under the pressure that they've got they can't find everything.
I noticed homes being built in the background. I'll bet they ALL have the same defects. That builder should be "Stopped" until all his homes meet code.
Who said the builder has a licence to build in the first place. He just quoted 30% cheaper then any other builder and forgot to tell the owner about not having a licence or it's in the post.
At 6:53 you can see they ended one of the HVAC supply trunks with a wye. The trunk has to terminate with an end cap and the supply branches need to be 2 feet from the end. With the way it currently is, there will be little to no airflow coming out of those registers.
Thanks for pointing that out. I'm going to do some more research on duct requirements and best practices so that I can Make sure to catch things like this in the future.
Feel sorry for Ben. That’s not sheathing, it’s literally cardboard and it’s garbage, as as you point out, it’s not installed properly. The walls framing the garage opening should be shear walls and anchored as you said…it would take several pages to list everything I saw. I’m guessing the contractor wasn’t counting on you finding everything. Also, while it’s good of you to to say something nice to the client, this house is total garbage, and best to walk away. The only way to fix it is to bulldoze it down and get a builder who knows what he/she is doing, and actually cares.
No OSB. Just studs and that sheathing, which is meant to be structural if you pause and read it. However, they installed it with something like an office stapler! It all has to come down and be NAILED into the studs.
@@MoneyManHolmes it can be stapled per the mfg. just has to be the proper staples. However, tply is just pure garbage. Very happy I fronted the cost for 1/2” zip for my home.
I can't believe that thermoply stuff is structural. I can see a vapor barrier but it can't be a strong as osb. And supposedly you don't even need horizontal bracing when you use it. I see that OX brand all the time.
@@gwilliams1001 what’s funny is OX claims it’s as strong as 7/16 OSB….. yet builders still have to put up OSB at corners and around garage openings for extra shear strength. If the OX is just as good why do you need OSB for added shear?
Ive watched a few of these inspections and as an Electrician of 33 years in the trade doing residential and commercial I feel for the home buyers these days. All the work being done and these homes being erected so fast that corners are cut. I look at the wiring and framing and I just hate it all.
Wow, stunning incompetence and corner cutting. I have owned a few older homes and dealt with the problems they had resulting from substandard construction. Absolutely horrifying that essentially the same stuff still happens. And EVERYONE says everyone else did it wrong 😂
Hahaha Thanks homie! There are a lot of grumpy, crusty old inspectors out there and I suppose if your job is to point out everybody's mistakes all day every day for a career then it might lend to becoming A bit pessimistic about things. I don't want to turn in to one of those grumpy, crusty old inspectors!
My guess on the window binding and having a crack was .. stresses on the frame already due to ever so slight shifting of the wooden framing due to improper construction. Just enough to pressure the window and crack the glass, and bend the frame causing it to bind.
I’ve seen a couple of jobs like this. One commercial wood framed building tried to save money and hired one guy and his wife to do all concrete and frame. You know it was bad when the curves for the driveway had Masonite on one side and the orange stripe plastic from a road barrier on the other. I’m a plumber so I don’t know the terms but it was designed by bmc and the provided everything needed to build it. Yet they used a couple of 16 penny nails rather than joist hangers, no h clips on roof decking. I’m a plumber so the big issue I had was random nail patterns on top plates. I probably used up 2 self feed bits on the jobs. One stud they missed all three nails on top. It was near where we had to have a ladder. After I almost fell by grabbing it, I pulled the top out so they’d see it and fix it. They’d just go push it back in. Same thing happened two more times, I’d pull it out and they’d push it back in. After the third time, I just ripped the whole thing out and told the gc it needed to be put back in. The gc ended up hiring a third party inspector like this video to basically go over it with a fine tooth comb and give them a list of what was needed to fix it to pass inspection. Then we did a house outside of Austin for a preacher. He hired roofers and framers from his church. They had walls that looked like an s. Some walls had almost a 2” difference. Our rough in crew missed a couple of toilets so I had to chip them up and move them. I checked everyone so they’d all be right. Then when setting toilets one was like 4” too close to the wall. I had to chip up and put an offset flange and barely made the toilet fit. I was stumped until I remembered that was one of the really wavy walls. I’d bet money the framers came back and straightened it without paying any attention to where the wall needed to be. They had a beam in the garage that I could rock with my hand. Also multiple boards in the attic had nails sticking out of them. It look like the removed them from somewhere and then just flipped the board and reused them somewhere else without pulling the nails. This really pissed me off because I was walking through the attic. I was focused on the joists and never thought I’d put my hand down on a board and find 4 nails coming out. I almost fell out of the attic. I’m long winded but moral of the story is you get what you pay for. If you’re investing all that money in a house, make sure you do your due diligence. Don’t trust a state license or the builders word.
I've seen plumber work where they literally cut a chunk of the bottom cord of the truss out to put their piping through. Sadly, this went unnoticed until after tile was put in, which caused a dip in the roof cause the integrity the truss was comprised. It was a real pain to fix.
It's unreal these builders still have work. Been a drywall hanger for 16 ish years.. I still see some of he worse built homes.. it's sad with levels and lasers.. people just cut corners.
It doesn’t violate code, but a nitpick for me is the use of flex tube for the vents on those long, straight spans. Greatly reduced flow rate which means a beefier fan which is way more expensive than just running straight pipe, not to mention the extra power cost and noise.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who dislikes long runs of flex hose. It will have sag points where water and dust will build up. - It's even worse when long runs of it are used for clothes dryers. They slow down the air so that lint deposits and catches on all the ribs, which develop into clogs, and you get reduced dryer performance, and sometimes house fires.
You really are a great inspector and for sure you showed me the problems that the house has, now the builder that is using this framers sucks, actually I’m scared even to go and buy a new house unless I know really who built it!!! It’s an eye opener for all the buyers!
I'm a builder and have no fear of this inspector. He's knowledgeable and fair. In thirty 30 years of building I have never witnessed anything close to this construction fiasco. It is so atrocious it looks staged. Buyers should fear this builder!
Building houses with cardboard, staples, tape and some wood :) Here in Switzerland, they build houses that would last 200 years. And them knock them down after 50, because enough many people are willing to pay more for a new house, but there's no space left.
good building practice with also be to tape all of the seams on the "sheathing". helps prevent moisture transfer, which is the number one cause of water intrusion.
As an inspector hired by the buyer, they do not. I don't have the authority that the city inspectors have. That said, my client, the buyer, has a big fat report full of photos, comments, and references of the standards used that they can pull out and use as leverage to get these things repaired. The worst thing for the builder would be to not repair them, they fail, and then they are on the hook for getting it fixed after the house has closed!
@@constructivainspections Excellent answer to the question! We are in process of buying a new construction house and having the Phase 1 and 2 inspections has been a tremendous help to us in (1) Making the builder aware up front that our inspector will be monitoring the build so they might pay more attention to our house as opposed to the other 20 or 30 they are building at the same time with no buyer's inspections. (2) Catching less than professional work by subs and our supt requiring them to come back and correct and also (3) Having documentation should items not be addressed and issues come up after closing. You guys provide a great service and it's a shame that more folks dont choose to involve you guys. And shame on any Realtors that are representing buys that dont REQUIRE them to use an inspector during the build and NOT just for the "Final" inspection...
I was looking at some videos of buildings collapsing for want of proper sheathing! This looks like it could easily join that video in the future. What an unbelievable example of shoddy building. I did not see anyone else in this video. My guess is that the guy just walked into that building and pretended to be invited by the owner!! This is the absolute opposite of Matt Risinger's efforts to improve residential construction in the entire country!!
I just realized what that sheathing was..... my jaw literally dropped! I built a 12x12 shed with 2 x windows, a front door, and a 8x7 regular garage door this past winter. I did everything by myself except finish the slab, install the garage door, and install the vinyl siding. I used it as practice for some things I want to do on my main house (replace all the windows... house was built in 2003 but builder cut corners and used retro-fit windows... think the house wrap is paper towels or something... etc..). Anyway, my house wrap I used for my shed (the blue Lowes brand fabric, ($299 /roll) is way better than that 'sheathing'. I used 19/32 OSB for the roof and studs are 16" on center. My shed is very weather tight (more so than my darn house) and even though it isn't insulated, it was not bad after I had it weather tight in single digit weather!!! Oh yeah, I used cap staples for my house wrap and for my roofing underlayment... and even though I don't plan on heating the shed, I installed 2 rows of ice/water shield (for practice)!!!
Wow, in Australia it's 150mm, (6") regulation overlap for sisalation foil -- but doesn't have to be over a stud. Then we use 4mm brace ply or diagonal steel strapping BEFORE ANY cladding to stop racking. Jezzuz.
@1:16: Exterior studs on the flat?! I assume that's an unconditioned space, but I'd want to see way more bracing for that gable end. It's like a house of cards.
I'm a lowly DIY Homeowner...and even I would be embarrassed if I had done any of this. I have lived in the same house for thirty-four years. I have owned two other homes before this. I have done some renovation in all three plus had work done by professional tradesmen...I haven't seen anything like this. I'm surprised this contractor still has a license.
As a contractor I can’t stand working on cardboard houses. So many people were ripped off. Nothing like buying a $800k house that’s got no structural integrity and pink insulation. Try attaching a pipe to the side of a house that’s cardboard; the only thing holding it is plastic siding that will crack in the winter.
Nothing unusual here in west Michigan. My brother-in-law was an inspector in two townships, this is the normal here! And then the builders would get mad at him for finding code violations like this. Being a builder myself it was unbelievable the stories he had!!
Quality workmanship! My father built 4 houses in his life, although he hired a builder and didn’t frame the houses he was on site every day from the first day of construction. These guys would have gotten 4 or 5 studs cut and my dad would have told them to pack up their tools and move on. What a joke.
How in the world can these deficiencies be remedied? It's not possible. By what process does the occupancy certificate get issued? Pity the buyers of this house. I am gearing up to build a house this year, and this affirms my plan to build it myself.
Noted. It probably does sound arrogant for a you tube commenter to say he’s going to build his own house. 😂 It’s definitely not something I’m taking lightly. However, I started framing carpentry with my dad at 12, worked framing in college, and have been extensively remodeling my homes for 30 yrs. This will be my capstone project, with my son alongside. We won’t be in a hurry, and have a good network of friends in the trades, so I have some confidence we’ll be ok.
The cardboard sheathing is mind blowing to me - I am from up north. I noticed how you pointed out the nailing patterns on the shear walls on either side of the garage door. I get that you need more nails there with plywood/osb, would it even make a difference with the cardboard?!
Ever seen a curbside house inspection? Inspector pulls up, greets the crew foreman, signs the paperwork and hands them a sticker for the breaker panel. Five to ten minutes per structure, easy money.
When my wife and had our house built we couldn’t believe the number of complaints against the builders in our area. It felt like every single one of them was the worst scum on the planet. We eventually got in contact with a framing crew that works with a couple of the home builders. They explained to us that the home builders would have the plans in front of them and choose to not follow them and would instruct the framers to do things against code and hope the inspector wouldn’t notice. So we became our own contractor. Hired in the people we wanted to ensure our house was built the way we wanted it to be built. Do not trust home builders.
@@heliumcalcium396 I wanted to echo that. There were indeed houses from 100 years prior that were built badly. But time has removed them from our experience, leaving mostly the good ones for us to observe as examples from then. I did hear that the Sears homes that could be ordered and assembled on site, about 80 years ago, were much better than a lot of what we see now.
@@rjgaynor8 hey, it really saddens me that you feel that way. Greedy contractors have taken over the industry of homebuilding, so i understand, still it bothers me that things are the way they are. I got out of new construction years ago because of rush jobs and greed. I cant believe this video, "sheathing". Wow.
@@MrLocusthead that “sheathing” would not survive the winters here. Osb has a hard time here but as long as it’s 3/4 it’s ok. We had our house sheathed in 3/4 ply. Winters here get really windy and can push a snow bank against the side of your house. Most of the foundations are a couple feet off the ground because of the snow load. The old brick houses had no problems with the snow, but the people here with new houses end up having major problems after the first winter. The wind also can rack a house. And since we can have a blow that can last up to a month the constant movement of these tall skinny houses is causing doors and windows to get stuck. My wife and I started our own business doing renovations (mostly undoing what some flipper did) and we hate it when we go to see a customer with a brand new house. The worst part is we basically specialize in fixing this stuff now. A lot of these type of videos are not near me because new construction here is rare now. The building craze from 20 years ago finally ebbed and now the cracks are showing, quite literally a “new” construction from 10 years ago is now condemned and is set to be demoed next week. We cannot fix it. Foundation shifted really bad.
Matt Risinger just did a video on how garbage that cardboard is for rigidity... And how little more it is. The OSB sheathing is ~$15/sheet and the cardboard is ~$9/sheet. Not much difference when building an entire house. I can't believe code still allows it to be used. I can attest that it sucks. My home was 'sheathed' with this when it was built about 20 years ago. A few years ago we had a wind event from the North/Northwest (thats the direction most big storms come from in San Antonio Texas) that was powerful enough to 'rack' every house on my street where the back of the house faces North and the wind wasn't cut / blocked by either very large oak trees or other 2 stoy homes behind them (breaks up the wind). Some trees even fell. Needless to say, i had to hire a structural engineer and my insurance isn't happy. $$$
When you walk through a house do you just look and find stuff or do you go through focusing on an area of code? That is, do you look at sheathing as a whole then move on to tie downs, then on to load bearings? I always wonder how we rely on one person (the inspector) to find faults when there could be so many in a build like this one that they would catch them all (or enough of the important ones) to make the build safe.
How about all that unsupported and unprotected romex dangling across the ceiling joists and bottom chords? We're required to protect them. The purpose is to prevent damage from someone working the attic.
Yeah, good LUCK with getting all that fixed. Guarantee you it wasn't. I had no idea they still allowed that cardboard crap on houses still. I mean, in FL that stuff stopped being used in the... 80s? I still find this stuff on gables and dormers in FL on homes built in 60s-80s. We always replace it with plywood, then vapor barrier it for vinyl siding.
I won't touch on all the defects that were mentioned. I know that I wouldn't do them. I will touch on the 2x6 construction. Awhile back I heard of using double 2x4 walls with a gap between them that basically makes the wall 10" to 12" thick depending on the spacing. It also creates separation that is filled in with insulation. What's your opinion on this? This is supposedly stronger than 2x'6 and is cheaper, except for the amount of insulation that fills in the walls.
I know this is an old video, but I just found your site. Novice question. Some of this framing looks like a teardown. How can you repair the double plates or deal with the missing truss?
So my question is this: how on earth did the structure NOT get inspected floor by floor prior to the trusses being added? Many of these issues can’t be properly fixed so will need bandaids to fix
I feel sorry for people who buy homes with cardboard exterior sheathing.... looks like the new guys on framing crew were tasked with window, flashing and sheathing installation. How is this house gonna pass a blower door test? And no termite treatment anywhere on the lower framing?
Is the washing machine or a slop sink going to be installed in the garage? If so you can't have the plastic washing machine box or any of the drain stub outs in plastic. They have to be metal due to penetrating a fire wall. 30 yr plumbing contractor and commercial plumbing inspectctor.
I can’t imagine what it will take to resolve this. I don’t understand how this happens - especially a home that you are going to raise a family in. What the heck.
wait you can use staples for sheathing? i always use screws i have tons of roof decking that has that and once a leak starts the staples rust to nothing and the whole board starts coming up. also osb is horrible for longevity. spend the last few day patching a roof leak from the 80 year old cedar plywood roof deck osb last maybe a 20 years best case. never let a repair man or builder use osb on your stuff just pay the extra cost it's worth it.
When did poster board and staples become structural sheathing. Feel sorry for the unsuspecting home buyer who does not realize how crappy their new home is built.
I can only imagine how much time and money it will take to fix.. my dad always said, "Take the time to do it right the first time because it will cost you three times to fix."
Most of the issues look to be due to framers not knowing building code and a supervisor/project manager not being present and knowing code to correct the issues.
So this is the reason why houses and homes are cheap in Texas pretty shoddy work. In that sheathing, how is that sheathing having any sheer effect at all.
If I were to have a home custom built, there would certainly be an independent inspector paid for by me on the job and have that inspector report to the city inspector, too.
I dont really understand building houses from wood. Im from NL/Europe and all houses here are built from brick. I dont really know why, but i suspect because of our wet weather and wind, wood is not very durable in these conditions. Of course we can build with wood and i guess if you look back far enough, you wil find some wood, but even historically, its all brick/stone. We do use wood for floors, although thats also less and less so. And since those walls are double, inside wall and outside, the wooden beams that span for the floor, rest on the inside brick wall. All forces go down through that wall. (and that wall is connected for structural strength to the outside wall. Thats more expensive than wood building, but heck if its your home, you want it to last at least your lifetime, right? I cant imagine building a house with sheathing of hardboard. Thats crazy. Anything will penetrate that. It has very low structural strength. And it would be rotting away here in decades, if not just years. We dont even use that for a shed in the garden. Its doable for the backside of a cubbard. Nothing more. Why do people accept this???? Also, its pretty easy to build with brick. Once you have a good foundation, bricklaying is quite easy. You dont have all those joints that you have in woodbuilding. The material is also consistent in strength; doesnt weather or change much and in fact only gets stronger in time, while wood loses strength in time. Stone/brick also doesnt do much in temp and humidity changes, while wood, all sorts, change as temp and humidity change. It 'works', as we say and you have to allow for that. Which means building with wood is far more complex than building with stone or brick. All those joints is a nightmare. Its not like we dont know how to build with wood. We build sheds with it at times. Some architect may decide he wants to do something nice with wood, but generally houses are built with brick. Is it customary to build with wood, or is it that much cheaper? I can hardly imagine that. Cement and brick is pretty cheap. Ive been in the US 3 times. Saw the wood build, but.... i dont get why you would do that. I mean, if you build a brick wall, you can see from a mile away if its decent or not. If its wood, you have to check each and every joint ffs. Each joint thats not right, means the wall can fail. Each piece of wood thats not right, means the wall can fail. And then cover it up with hardboard, some tape and dry wall on the inside.... Thats a nightmare. I still dont get it. Hardboard? I thought that stuff was isolation and there would be a stone wall in front of it? Are you really saying this hardboard stuff IS the outside wall? So they slap on some stuc or what have you, for looks and thats it???
Those braces are temporary they're not even recessed into the wall there literally nailed on top of the studs how do you ever think that they would sheetrock. Just sheetrock around it?
Looks like the issue began with the concrete people. Maybe you should check the foundation. Looks like a normal tract house. All tract homes have issues
Wait. 2x6 is not STANDARD in TX? Edited…wait, never mind. The “sheathing” is cardboard, or at best fibre board so yeah 2x4 walls track. And not a lick of insulation either. Apparently heat does not come INTO an air conditioned house, it only goes OUT of heated houses. That’s how a 2 day slight dip below freezing stopped TX cold, pun intended, and they pay an arm and a leg to cool these McMansions.
most of the things with this structure, combined with the fact its sheathing is just staples and cardboard, it appears that the structure is in the process of falling down.
I can never quite get over the fact that this "sheating" is legal. Just use some OSB or plywood for the sake of all that is decent.
Keep the prices low.
So many people are not able to afford homes already.
I live in 1960’s home, no sheeting.
2X4, 2 layers of tar paper, stucco, I think it is fine
I do agree that OSB would give much better shear strength.
@@gund89123this house is getting brick/stone fascia. I would trust plywood more because it gives you more places to tie the fascia to the structure. Plywood also prevents wracking of the structure. Although technically legal it's not a good design.
Here in Arizona it seems none of the tract home have sheathing all the way around. Instead, there is just house wrap attached to the studs except where they need sheer strength. I have no idea why that is ok.
@@rgoers here in NC that doesn't fly because we need that additional sheer strength for hurricane and tornado resistance.
Major lack of pride and/or skill. If I was the homeowner and I found out about this I'd want out.
I've been framing for 40 years. In a million years, I would never even conceive of doing such a $h!++y job. This man is wayyyyy too kind 😇.
Unfortunately, at least here in Arizona, this would be considered a good build. Our current house, we had an independent inspector come in (who was a retired builder). At various stages of the build he picked up on over 500 faults, of which 120 were classed as serious. He also found the stucco was improperly formulated and as a result the stucco for the entire house had to be removed and redone. He accompanied us on the final walkthrough. Before we arrived he had walked the roof and found over a dozen problems that needed addressed. We then started the house inspection. We did the entrance way, lounge, dining room and kitchen. The window in the kitchen wasn't square and it was, in any case, misplaced by nine inches laterally. This meant the cabinets abutted the window on one side and on the other there was a one foot gap. In any case, the window wouldn't and couldn't open. By 'not square' I mean the angle on the corners was 85 degrees and 95 degrees. At this point, the builder got really angry and threw us out of the house.
It took the builder another 3 months to fix all the faults in the report, but on the plus side we were the only buyers who didn't need any callbacks from the builder. Sadly, that same builder is still in business today. I hope they've gotten better...
I would never dream of buying or building a house without a highly competent inspector who does great documentation (with photographic evidence). Never. Ever. It has saved us tens of thousand of dollars and these people are worth their weight in gold.
@@davidgapp1457 there's a bloke doing these videos here in Australia. Called siteinspections. Have a look at the absolute mess he finds. They make this house look like it was done properly.
Honestly it's nice that he's not such a jerk. A lot of these inspectors act like megalomaniacs on a pathetic little power trip. It's not his job to sh*t all over people. It's to point out mistakes. Period.
@@davidgapp1457 I grew up in Maryvale in west Phoenix, we had a brick John F Long home from 1961. Huge yard and zero HOA. Phoenix, a great place to be from.
Yes, way too kind. He gives the impression that the infractions are not serious.
Good luck to the homeowners who have to confront the builder for all these repairs!
My guess is the builder tosses a lien on the property for non payment and harassment.. Just my opinion mind you.
Because those are clear violations the builder is required to fix them. If the builder doesn't it can lead to grounds of losing their license. Then they would still need to fork over the money for repairs.
@@ricktester2394 My daughter and son-in-law walked away from a $570K house in Round Rock it was so shoddy I was really shocked. I went with them to three inspections and every time there were 10-15 issues. The guy from the builder asked me if I was their inspector and I said yes, and the dad who will make sure they don't get screwed. None of the issues got fixed. They got their deposit back and the builder was cited by the city. I went by not too long ago and someone was living there and I am sure nothing was fixed. In the end they knew to just let this one go and still came out ahead. Big money for these row house builders coves most errors.
@@TheForgottenMan270 depends on how well-connected the builder is with the local board members -- see the recent mess in AZ...
@@ricktester2394 Or they file a "letter of concern" to the local government for the inspector "publicly shaming" them on RUclips, and trying to get the inspector's license revoked.
After watching a couple of your videos makes me wonder after all the points you make about the homes---do they actually get repaired correctly by the builder. I see some of the stuff you point out as almost needing a tear out to get it right
Yeah, this house needs a demo just for the anchoring failures.
As an old retired Building Inspector, I cannot believe all the shoddy workmanship! I would need a lot of red tags if I was responsible for this inspection!
I just can't believe theyre sheathing houses with cardboard....
@@TheTurpin1234 Right? What IS that stuff?
Yes, and as a former Chief Building Inspector from SoCal. A Red Tag would just be the beginning of a total shut down.
I figured they would offer Texas code books in Spanish. Can’t always find a builder who knows how to read English I bet
@@colliemutt5structural cardboard 😅😂, I found it under shiplap siding on my addition that was built in the 80s. Complete garbage. Big box stores sell it.
Cant believe that sheathing is legal
Probably not in California where earthquakes drive the engineering
Code requirements are based on what’s minimum needed to keep costs down.
This might be ok in TX, not ok if you live in seismic zone like CA.
Looks like house wrap, a water and wind seal, not sheathing that provides backing for the exterior finish and shear bracing for the exterior walls.
Lowest bidder gets the job🎉
@@robertball3578No believe it or not it is sheathing.
Watching all these inspector videos makes me realize I should get in touch with an inspector to recommend me decent builders in an area when I want to build a place. So many builders cutting corners.
Excellent work Casey! Some of the defects you found are quite significant. Its good thing the buyers hired you to inspect this home.
Bought a new construction home in 2002. As luck would have it, the pre drywall inspector came while I was visiting the site. Believe it or not, the guy spent about ten minutes on the site. I had to call his boss and he was not happy with me. Oh, well, it’s my money.
How does this build not result is a massive lawsuit and stripping the builder of license to build? This is flat out dangerous negligence here.
Because. It. Passed. The. City. Inspection!
I have a lot of love for my ATX city inspectors, but they are overworked and over stressed and don't have the time that I have to spend on a job. Believe me they find a whole lot of stuff but under the pressure that they've got they can't find everything.
@@constructivainspections Wild! Scary stuff.
I noticed homes being built in the background. I'll bet they ALL have the same defects. That builder should be "Stopped" until all his homes meet code.
@@mrcryptozoic817
And very few people hire an inspector.
Who said the builder has a licence to build in the first place. He just quoted 30% cheaper then any other builder and forgot to tell the owner about not having a licence or it's in the post.
At 6:53 you can see they ended one of the HVAC supply trunks with a wye. The trunk has to terminate with an end cap and the supply branches need to be 2 feet from the end. With the way it currently is, there will be little to no airflow coming out of those registers.
Thanks for pointing that out. I'm going to do some more research on duct requirements and best practices so that I can Make sure to catch things like this in the future.
These kind of videos make me completely terrified of ever building a new house. I need to hire Matt Risinger to get a decent 2 story.
Yeah, and you’ll have a nice attic crawl space as well haha!
No, you don't need to hire a youtuber.
You could also contact Perkins Build Brothers or STUD PACK 😁
Feel sorry for Ben. That’s not sheathing, it’s literally cardboard and it’s garbage, as as you point out, it’s not installed properly. The walls framing the garage opening should be shear walls and anchored as you said…it would take several pages to list everything I saw. I’m guessing the contractor wasn’t counting on you finding everything. Also, while it’s good of you to to say something nice to the client, this house is total garbage, and best to walk away. The only way to fix it is to bulldoze it down and get a builder who knows what he/she is doing, and actually cares.
No OSB. Just studs and that sheathing, which is meant to be structural if you pause and read it. However, they installed it with something like an office stapler! It all has to come down and be NAILED into the studs.
@@MoneyManHolmes it can be stapled per the mfg. just has to be the proper staples. However, tply is just pure garbage. Very happy I fronted the cost for 1/2” zip for my home.
I can't believe that thermoply stuff is structural. I can see a vapor barrier but it can't be a strong as osb. And supposedly you don't even need horizontal bracing when you use it. I see that OX brand all the time.
@@gwilliams1001 what’s funny is OX claims it’s as strong as 7/16 OSB….. yet builders still have to put up OSB at corners and around garage openings for extra shear strength. If the OX is just as good why do you need OSB for added shear?
Classic case of someone biting off more than they can chew. lol
Ive watched a few of these inspections and as an Electrician of 33 years in the trade doing residential and commercial I feel for the home buyers these days. All the work being done and these homes being erected so fast that corners are cut. I look at the wiring and framing and I just hate it all.
Wow, stunning incompetence and corner cutting. I have owned a few older homes and dealt with the problems they had resulting from substandard construction. Absolutely horrifying that essentially the same stuff still happens.
And EVERYONE says everyone else did it wrong 😂
Casey remains always positive.... Thanks Casey!
Hahaha Thanks homie! There are a lot of grumpy, crusty old inspectors out there and I suppose if your job is to point out everybody's mistakes all day every day for a career then it might lend to becoming A bit pessimistic about things. I don't want to turn in to one of those grumpy, crusty old inspectors!
I learn a lot watching these, I hope you can make more soon!
great videos. makes u wonder how many homes have theses issues that never get addressed or seen.
My guess on the window binding and having a crack was .. stresses on the frame already due to ever so slight shifting of the wooden framing due to improper construction. Just enough to pressure the window and crack the glass, and bend the frame causing it to bind.
Quite likely.
I’ve seen a couple of jobs like this. One commercial wood framed building tried to save money and hired one guy and his wife to do all concrete and frame. You know it was bad when the curves for the driveway had Masonite on one side and the orange stripe plastic from a road barrier on the other. I’m a plumber so I don’t know the terms but it was designed by bmc and the provided everything needed to build it. Yet they used a couple of 16 penny nails rather than joist hangers, no h clips on roof decking. I’m a plumber so the big issue I had was random nail patterns on top plates. I probably used up 2 self feed bits on the jobs. One stud they missed all three nails on top. It was near where we had to have a ladder. After I almost fell by grabbing it, I pulled the top out so they’d see it and fix it. They’d just go push it back in. Same thing happened two more times, I’d pull it out and they’d push it back in. After the third time, I just ripped the whole thing out and told the gc it needed to be put back in. The gc ended up hiring a third party inspector like this video to basically go over it with a fine tooth comb and give them a list of what was needed to fix it to pass inspection.
Then we did a house outside of Austin for a preacher. He hired roofers and framers from his church. They had walls that looked like an s. Some walls had almost a 2” difference. Our rough in crew missed a couple of toilets so I had to chip them up and move them. I checked everyone so they’d all be right. Then when setting toilets one was like 4” too close to the wall. I had to chip up and put an offset flange and barely made the toilet fit. I was stumped until I remembered that was one of the really wavy walls. I’d bet money the framers came back and straightened it without paying any attention to where the wall needed to be. They had a beam in the garage that I could rock with my hand. Also multiple boards in the attic had nails sticking out of them. It look like the removed them from somewhere and then just flipped the board and reused them somewhere else without pulling the nails. This really pissed me off because I was walking through the attic. I was focused on the joists and never thought I’d put my hand down on a board and find 4 nails coming out. I almost fell out of the attic.
I’m long winded but moral of the story is you get what you pay for. If you’re investing all that money in a house, make sure you do your due diligence. Don’t trust a state license or the builders word.
I've seen plumber work where they literally cut a chunk of the bottom cord of the truss out to put their piping through. Sadly, this went unnoticed until after tile was put in, which caused a dip in the roof cause the integrity the truss was comprised. It was a real pain to fix.
Good old 'plumber cancer'.
So much for knowledgeable tradesman. A Mcmansion industry where being built on sand is the least of their concerns.
It's unreal these builders still have work. Been a drywall hanger for 16 ish years.. I still see some of he worse built homes.. it's sad with levels and lasers.. people just cut corners.
they are so cheap it blinds people into giving them the job.
You’d think that we were observing some developing country build out.
Well most construction workers are now smooth brain border jumpers so they’re basically migrating their skillset over here. 🤷♂️
It might have been built by the cheap guy with cash-only laborers.
Nothing is cheap in Austin
Our mason here has to go 18 above grade. No jack studs under interior door headers seems wrong, because code here.
Never knew you could use cardboard as sheating .Lumber is at the lowest point in years .
Good video
"cardboard meets minimum strength requirements"...that some lobbying money well spent...
You said it!
it's as ingenious as simpson strong ties getting thier products built into the building codes.
This a great inspection. Where was someone like you when I was buying my house :|
It doesn’t violate code, but a nitpick for me is the use of flex tube for the vents on those long, straight spans. Greatly reduced flow rate which means a beefier fan which is way more expensive than just running straight pipe, not to mention the extra power cost and noise.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who dislikes long runs of flex hose.
It will have sag points where water and dust will build up.
-
It's even worse when long runs of it are used for clothes dryers. They slow down the air so that lint deposits and catches on all the ribs, which develop into clogs, and you get reduced dryer performance, and sometimes house fires.
You really are a great inspector and for sure you showed me the problems that the house has, now the builder that is using this framers sucks, actually I’m scared even to go and buy a new house unless I know really who built it!!!
It’s an eye opener for all the buyers!
Its like living in a giant Garden Shed!
It really does look like a homemade garden shed some guy has been working on over a couple years.
Did you get the Home Depot upgrades that include plumbing, wiring and foundation?
at 7:06 that truss plate damage, is actually missing a leg too. It looks like it was in the way of the flex duct.
builders must not like to see you coming. Good job. Can't believe how terrible trades have gotten.
I'm a builder and have no fear of this inspector. He's knowledgeable and fair.
In thirty 30 years of building I have never witnessed anything close to this construction fiasco. It is so atrocious it looks staged. Buyers should fear this builder!
Building houses with cardboard, staples, tape and some wood :) Here in Switzerland, they build houses that would last 200 years. And them knock them down after 50, because enough many people are willing to pay more for a new house, but there's no space left.
good building practice with also be to tape all of the seams on the "sheathing". helps prevent moisture transfer, which is the number one cause of water intrusion.
Do the builders plumbers and sparkles have to go back and make repairs for the defects you highlight
As an inspector hired by the buyer, they do not. I don't have the authority that the city inspectors have. That said, my client, the buyer, has a big fat report full of photos, comments, and references of the standards used that they can pull out and use as leverage to get these things repaired. The worst thing for the builder would be to not repair them, they fail, and then they are on the hook for getting it fixed after the house has closed!
@@constructivainspections Excellent answer to the question! We are in process of buying a new construction house and having the Phase 1 and 2 inspections has been a tremendous help to us in (1) Making the builder aware up front that our inspector will be monitoring the build so they might pay more attention to our house as opposed to the other 20 or 30 they are building at the same time with no buyer's inspections. (2) Catching less than professional work by subs and our supt requiring them to come back and correct and also (3) Having documentation should items not be addressed and issues come up after closing. You guys provide a great service and it's a shame that more folks dont choose to involve you guys. And shame on any Realtors that are representing buys that dont REQUIRE them to use an inspector during the build and NOT just for the "Final" inspection...
I was looking at some videos of buildings collapsing for want of proper sheathing! This looks like it could easily join that video in the future. What an unbelievable example of shoddy building. I did not see anyone else in this video. My guess is that the guy just walked into that building and pretended to be invited by the owner!! This is the absolute opposite of Matt Risinger's efforts to improve residential construction in the entire country!!
You "guess" that the inspector just trespassed for a video?? That's some really deep thinking there, Champ...
I just realized what that sheathing was..... my jaw literally dropped! I built a 12x12 shed with 2 x windows, a front door, and a 8x7 regular garage door this past winter. I did everything by myself except finish the slab, install the garage door, and install the vinyl siding. I used it as practice for some things I want to do on my main house (replace all the windows... house was built in 2003 but builder cut corners and used retro-fit windows... think the house wrap is paper towels or something... etc..). Anyway, my house wrap I used for my shed (the blue Lowes brand fabric, ($299 /roll) is way better than that 'sheathing'. I used 19/32 OSB for the roof and studs are 16" on center. My shed is very weather tight (more so than my darn house) and even though it isn't insulated, it was not bad after I had it weather tight in single digit weather!!! Oh yeah, I used cap staples for my house wrap and for my roofing underlayment... and even though I don't plan on heating the shed, I installed 2 rows of ice/water shield (for practice)!!!
a good argument for factory built housing is consistency and quality control
At the garage, what you were describing is called a portal frame for shear resistance, and it wasn’t even close to detailed correctly.
Wow, in Australia it's 150mm, (6") regulation overlap for sisalation foil -- but doesn't have to be over a stud. Then we use 4mm brace ply or diagonal steel strapping BEFORE ANY cladding to stop racking. Jezzuz.
@1:16: Exterior studs on the flat?! I assume that's an unconditioned space, but I'd want to see way more bracing for that gable end. It's like a house of cards.
I'm a lowly DIY Homeowner...and even I would be embarrassed if I had done any of this. I have lived in the same house for thirty-four years. I have owned two other homes before this. I have done some renovation in all three plus had work done by professional tradesmen...I haven't seen anything like this. I'm surprised this contractor still has a license.
As a contractor I can’t stand working on cardboard houses. So many people were ripped off. Nothing like buying a $800k house that’s got no structural integrity and pink insulation. Try attaching a pipe to the side of a house that’s cardboard; the only thing holding it is plastic siding that will crack in the winter.
9:32 do plumbers not own saws? They always seem to go after things with hatchets
Nothing unusual here in west Michigan. My brother-in-law was an inspector in two townships, this is the normal here! And then the builders would get mad at him for finding code violations like this. Being a builder myself it was unbelievable the stories he had!!
Quality workmanship!
My father built 4 houses in his life, although he hired a builder and didn’t frame the houses he was on site every day from the first day of construction. These guys would have gotten 4 or 5 studs cut and my dad would have told them to pack up their tools and move on.
What a joke.
Tons of great information.
Thanks, keep the amazing work.
How in the world can these deficiencies be remedied? It's not possible. By what process does the occupancy certificate get issued? Pity the buyers of this house.
I am gearing up to build a house this year, and this affirms my plan to build it myself.
Noted. It probably does sound arrogant for a you tube commenter to say he’s going to build his own house. 😂
It’s definitely not something I’m taking lightly. However, I started framing carpentry with my dad at 12, worked framing in college, and have been extensively remodeling my homes for 30 yrs. This will be my capstone project, with my son alongside.
We won’t be in a hurry, and have a good network of friends in the trades, so I have some confidence we’ll be ok.
The cardboard sheathing is mind blowing to me - I am from up north. I noticed how you pointed out the nailing patterns on the shear walls on either side of the garage door. I get that you need more nails there with plywood/osb, would it even make a difference with the cardboard?!
They use see through sheathing up north. I saw the video. The wind blows through it. New construction is garbage.
I love the foam just on everything
Structural foam they are!
@@csmlouis😂😅
That foam is not doing anything on that cardboard 😂
@@csmlouis Spray foam! It's not just for hiding rotted frames on cars from Buy Here Pay Here lots!
Does the building department not come inspect these houses?
Ever seen a curbside house inspection?
Inspector pulls up, greets the crew foreman, signs the paperwork and hands them a sticker for the breaker panel.
Five to ten minutes per structure, easy money.
I can understand why 100 year old houses are still standing. They were built with "pride in workmanship"! This is what's lacking today.
When my wife and had our house built we couldn’t believe the number of complaints against the builders in our area. It felt like every single one of them was the worst scum on the planet. We eventually got in contact with a framing crew that works with a couple of the home builders. They explained to us that the home builders would have the plans in front of them and choose to not follow them and would instruct the framers to do things against code and hope the inspector wouldn’t notice. So we became our own contractor. Hired in the people we wanted to ensure our house was built the way we wanted it to be built. Do not trust home builders.
_Some_ 100-year-old houses are still standing. They tend to be the ones that were built well.
@@heliumcalcium396 I wanted to echo that. There were indeed houses from 100 years prior that were built badly. But time has removed them from our experience, leaving mostly the good ones for us to observe as examples from then. I did hear that the Sears homes that could be ordered and assembled on site, about 80 years ago, were much better than a lot of what we see now.
@@rjgaynor8 hey, it really saddens me that you feel that way. Greedy contractors have taken over the industry of homebuilding, so i understand, still it bothers me that things are the way they are.
I got out of new construction years ago because of rush jobs and greed.
I cant believe this video, "sheathing". Wow.
@@MrLocusthead that “sheathing” would not survive the winters here. Osb has a hard time here but as long as it’s 3/4 it’s ok. We had our house sheathed in 3/4 ply. Winters here get really windy and can push a snow bank against the side of your house. Most of the foundations are a couple feet off the ground because of the snow load. The old brick houses had no problems with the snow, but the people here with new houses end up having major problems after the first winter. The wind also can rack a house. And since we can have a blow that can last up to a month the constant movement of these tall skinny houses is causing doors and windows to get stuck. My wife and I started our own business doing renovations (mostly undoing what some flipper did) and we hate it when we go to see a customer with a brand new house. The worst part is we basically specialize in fixing this stuff now. A lot of these type of videos are not near me because new construction here is rare now. The building craze from 20 years ago finally ebbed and now the cracks are showing, quite literally a “new” construction from 10 years ago is now condemned and is set to be demoed next week. We cannot fix it. Foundation shifted really bad.
That builder should have watched Larry Haun videos.
I can just hear Larry saying, "it's the code!"
Matt Risinger just did a video on how garbage that cardboard is for rigidity... And how little more it is. The OSB sheathing is ~$15/sheet and the cardboard is ~$9/sheet. Not much difference when building an entire house. I can't believe code still allows it to be used. I can attest that it sucks. My home was 'sheathed' with this when it was built about 20 years ago. A few years ago we had a wind event from the North/Northwest (thats the direction most big storms come from in San Antonio Texas) that was powerful enough to 'rack' every house on my street where the back of the house faces North and the wind wasn't cut / blocked by either very large oak trees or other 2 stoy homes behind them (breaks up the wind). Some trees even fell. Needless to say, i had to hire a structural engineer and my insurance isn't happy. $$$
Te xas has very good regulatory systems in place for builders. Homeowners are screwed but builders got the money,so that's good for the industry.
When you walk through a house do you just look and find stuff or do you go through focusing on an area of code? That is, do you look at sheathing as a whole then move on to tie downs, then on to load bearings? I always wonder how we rely on one person (the inspector) to find faults when there could be so many in a build like this one that they would catch them all (or enough of the important ones) to make the build safe.
May as well cut up and staple amazon boxes for sheathing
How about all that unsupported and unprotected romex dangling across the ceiling joists and bottom chords? We're required to protect them. The purpose is to prevent damage from someone working the attic.
that's normal, but it should be organized and properly attached
Can you even fix all of those issues?
Yeah, good LUCK with getting all that fixed. Guarantee you it wasn't. I had no idea they still allowed that cardboard crap on houses still. I mean, in FL that stuff stopped being used in the... 80s? I still find this stuff on gables and dormers in FL on homes built in 60s-80s. We always replace it with plywood, then vapor barrier it for vinyl siding.
I won't touch on all the defects that were mentioned. I know that I wouldn't do them.
I will touch on the 2x6 construction. Awhile back I heard of using double 2x4 walls with a gap between them that basically makes the wall 10" to 12" thick depending on the spacing. It also creates separation that is filled in with insulation. What's your opinion on this? This is supposedly stronger than 2x'6 and is cheaper, except for the amount of insulation that fills in the walls.
Keep up the good work
Would like to know what became of this house. I’m no expert but seems house needs to torn down and rebuilt
Wow dude I wouldn’t want that builder putting up a shed for my push mower. Not when I can just throw an old tote over the engine and be done dang
I know this is an old video, but I just found your site. Novice question. Some of this framing looks like a teardown. How can you repair the double plates or deal with the missing truss?
I believe it would be easier to tear the house down and start over then try to repair all that garbage
Wait where's all the 1/2 ply?
Replaced with 1/8” cardboard sheathing.
Top plate splicing is 48 inches or the structural pages spec..
Looks like the door has wood brickmold. The windows have flanges
Not bad for a diyer building his first house. Maybe on the next one he’ll know better.
That's insulting to a first time DIYer lol.
So my question is this: how on earth did the structure NOT get inspected floor by floor prior to the trusses being added?
Many of these issues can’t be properly fixed so will need bandaids to fix
I feel sorry for people who buy homes with cardboard exterior sheathing.... looks like the new guys on framing crew were tasked with window, flashing and sheathing installation. How is this house gonna pass a blower door test? And no termite treatment anywhere on the lower framing?
How much do you cost these builders? Do they ever learn they don't want you representing the customer? Great job!
We need an update for this house!
Do you have a couple of builders in Austin you recommend that do great quality builds even if they aren't >$2M homes?
What a nightmare! Hello Cat dozer.
Are expansion bolts going to meet code for all those improper anchor bolts? Or how about epoxied all thread?
Cardboard sheathing because it helps the house burn down faster?
Is the washing machine or a slop sink going to be installed in the garage? If so you can't have the plastic washing machine box or any of the drain stub outs in plastic. They have to be metal due to penetrating a fire wall.
30 yr plumbing contractor and commercial plumbing inspectctor.
This is why I build my own houses.
I can’t imagine what it will take to resolve this. I don’t understand how this happens - especially a home that you are going to raise a family in. What the heck.
wait you can use staples for sheathing? i always use screws i have tons of roof decking that has that and once a leak starts the staples rust to nothing and the whole board starts coming up. also osb is horrible for longevity. spend the last few day patching a roof leak from the 80 year old cedar plywood roof deck osb last maybe a 20 years best case. never let a repair man or builder use osb on your stuff just pay the extra cost it's worth it.
I just started watching and my disappointment in Contractor quality has reached a new low.
Why don't they use Simpson Strong Walls at the sides of the garage?
Since when do you get to just put sheathing on the outside of the studs. Are they doing brick?
When did poster board and staples become structural sheathing. Feel sorry for the unsuspecting home buyer who does not realize how crappy their new home is built.
One big wind and it'll be toppling over. Drywall is not structural.
I can only imagine how much time and money it will take to fix.. my dad always said, "Take the time to do it right the first time because it will cost you three times to fix."
Most of the issues look to be due to framers not knowing building code and a supervisor/project manager not being present and knowing code to correct the issues.
That place is a tear down before it's even had the drywall applied.
So this is the reason why houses and homes are cheap in Texas pretty shoddy work. In that sheathing, how is that sheathing having any sheer effect at all.
And we wonder why houses fall down in storms. Scary stuff.
If I were to have a home custom built, there would certainly be an independent inspector paid for by me on the job and have that inspector report to the city inspector, too.
I am still trying to figure out how cardboard can be a structural rated.
In Mexico, they just wrap the house twice with chicken wire no sheeting
Arizona is getting that, too. Poorly covered in stucco.
I dont really understand building houses from wood.
Im from NL/Europe and all houses here are built from brick. I dont really know why, but i suspect because of our wet weather and wind, wood is not very durable in these conditions. Of course we can build with wood and i guess if you look back far enough, you wil find some wood, but even historically, its all brick/stone. We do use wood for floors, although thats also less and less so.
And since those walls are double, inside wall and outside, the wooden beams that span for the floor, rest on the inside brick wall. All forces go down through that wall. (and that wall is connected for structural strength to the outside wall.
Thats more expensive than wood building, but heck if its your home, you want it to last at least your lifetime, right?
I cant imagine building a house with sheathing of hardboard. Thats crazy. Anything will penetrate that. It has very low structural strength. And it would be rotting away here in decades, if not just years. We dont even use that for a shed in the garden. Its doable for the backside of a cubbard. Nothing more.
Why do people accept this????
Also, its pretty easy to build with brick. Once you have a good foundation, bricklaying is quite easy. You dont have all those joints that you have in woodbuilding.
The material is also consistent in strength; doesnt weather or change much and in fact only gets stronger in time, while wood loses strength in time.
Stone/brick also doesnt do much in temp and humidity changes, while wood, all sorts, change as temp and humidity change. It 'works', as we say and you have to allow for that. Which means building with wood is far more complex than building with stone or brick.
All those joints is a nightmare.
Its not like we dont know how to build with wood. We build sheds with it at times. Some architect may decide he wants to do something nice with wood, but generally houses are built with brick.
Is it customary to build with wood, or is it that much cheaper? I can hardly imagine that. Cement and brick is pretty cheap.
Ive been in the US 3 times. Saw the wood build, but.... i dont get why you would do that. I mean, if you build a brick wall, you can see from a mile away if its decent or not. If its wood, you have to check each and every joint ffs. Each joint thats not right, means the wall can fail. Each piece of wood thats not right, means the wall can fail.
And then cover it up with hardboard, some tape and dry wall on the inside....
Thats a nightmare.
I still dont get it. Hardboard? I thought that stuff was isolation and there would be a stone wall in front of it? Are you really saying this hardboard stuff IS the outside wall? So they slap on some stuc or what have you, for looks and thats it???
Those braces are temporary they're not even recessed into the wall there literally nailed on top of the studs how do you ever think that they would sheetrock. Just sheetrock around it?
Looks like the issue began with the concrete people. Maybe you should check the foundation.
Looks like a normal tract house. All tract homes have issues
Wait. 2x6 is not STANDARD in TX?
Edited…wait, never mind. The “sheathing” is cardboard, or at best fibre board so yeah 2x4 walls track.
And not a lick of insulation either. Apparently heat does not come INTO an air conditioned house, it only goes OUT of heated houses.
That’s how a 2 day slight dip below freezing stopped TX cold, pun intended, and they pay an arm and a leg to cool these McMansions.
most of the things with this structure, combined with the fact its sheathing is just staples and cardboard, it appears that the structure is in the process of falling down.